I have recently (May 2007) been called to serve the Utqiagvik Presbyterian Church in Barrow, Alaska. I am trying to chronicle some of my observations as well as comments on life in the Arctic Circle.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Season of Mud and pot holes

Grace and greetings.

As we hit the middle of May, the snow begins to melt, and there by bringing the season of frustration and pot holes. I am sure everybody has their own understanding of pot holes, and express themselves when they hit the hole that they did not see. Here in Barrow, all roads are dirt, and during this season, they turn to mud and pot holes. I had to follow an ambulence to the air field this afternoon for another person to be air lifted to Anchorage for emergency medical services. I do not believe the ambulence was able to move much beyond 10 miles an hour, creeping over and through each pot hole between the hospital and the air field.

The nice thing about our roads being all dirt and gravel, they continue to grade them, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

This is another angle of the pot holes on the same bend of the road. You can see how these can cause flat tires and tight jaws. This is just a small side road, but the majority of the roads look like this when they are not able to grade them.

In the last picture, you see an opening to the Arctic Ocean, which is just across the street from the pot holes.

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About Me

I am half of a clergy couple, which means my wife is also a Presbyterian Minister, but she is on disability at the moment. I have a daughter, and she has three wonderful children living in Alabama. My wife and I have a soon to be 18 year old son; as he tells us that he can vote for president this year!
We have served churches throughout the United States in our twenty years as ministers, but never the same church together. We have returned to my "home" state of Alaska, and to the place where my wife did her internship for seminary, Barrow, Alaska.